The field of the disclosure relates generally to emergency response situations and more specifically, to methods and systems for non-contact biometric sensing.
In emergency response to disasters of various kinds, first responders are hampered by being unable to reach victims, or are encased in protective equipment that prevents sufficient contact with victims to do standard medical triage. No solution currently exists which permits noncontact standoff measurement of human vital signs. Existing solutions require contact with the victim, for example, palpating the neck or wrist of victim to measure pulse rate or respiration and/or listening for a heart beat with an ear pressed against a chest. As can be seen from the preceding description, existing triage techniques require contact. As a result triage cannot be done when contact is prevented by lack of access or when intervening materials (e.g., biohazards) hamper contact.